Lights, Camera....

3-25-14 OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO: We were on the bus by 8 AM heading east and then south up into the High Atlas Mountains. They were formed at the same time as the Alps and Pyrenees as part of the collision between and subduction of the African Plate with and under the European Plate. Anyway, the Atlas are tall and young and the tops are still snow capped. As the road climbed up the foothills, we noticed the change in vegetation to apple and cherry trees from the citrus trees.

In late morning, still in the foothills, we visited a Berber village and met the villagers and Peace Corps volunteers. The villagers were excited to have us visit and fed us a lunch of mint tea, olive oil,  a butter and honey mix, bread and hard-boiled eggs. We had a village tour after the spread. We also got a lot of info about the volunteers’ activities which includes, well-digging, medical care and literacy for women. There doesn't seem to be much government assistance for the rural poor. Lucy got two marriage proposals.

Back on the road, we made only a few stops for pix and wc’s, and then we were over the pass and down into the desert. On the way up, folded and fractured sedimentary strata became evident as the vegetation thinned out. South of the mountains is a rocky desert with sparse vegetation which is very different from the fruited plains north of the mountains. There are villages clustered around the rivers for the water.

Aït Benhaddou is a river village with a mostly abandoned, but picturesque old town that has been restored by movie companies. They use this area for filming desert epics. Andrew told us Game of Thrones was filming there the last time he led a trip. After lunch, another good one at L’Oasis D’or, we explored the old town, crossing the river on a beautiful new bridge. The top had great views of the green river valley and desert. Later after the ladies finished shopping, we went on to Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Morocco.

The Berbère Palace Hotel is filled with leftover props from movies—chariots, thrones, statutes of pagan gods—all labeled as to movie of origin. Before and during dinner we met and talked with some local female university students. They have great English skills. We talked about Morocco and America and women’s issues. One of them hopes to come to the US to study journalism.


Before the climb begins...

It's still green.

At the Berber village.

Berber village lunch.

Berber village center with the mayor.

Sedimentary strata upended...

...and folded.

Some snow near the top and green in the valley.

Near the Atlas summit, little vegetation, twisty road.

Atlas Mountains from the south, desert in the foreground.

Movie set/village of Aït Benhaddou.

White wagtail at the riverside. [thanks FM]

Top of the old town.

Atlas behind Aït Benhaddou.

Old town and river.

If there's a desert, there must be camels.

Berbère Palace Hotel with pagan god.